by Dennis Dalman – news@thenewsleaders.com
A busy stretch of Pinecone Road is in cruddy condition, and the Sartell city engineer means to do something about it – soon.
Some residents have called with complaints and concerns about Pinecone Road’s condition, mainly from 2nd Street S. to 7th St. N. At the March 11 Sartell City Council meeting, Sartell City Engineer Mike Nielson said he and his crew this month, weather permitting, will take pavement cores to evaluate the overall pavement condition. The information, once it’s analyzed, will be used to make recommendations to the council on how best to preserve and maintain the road for some years into the future.
Pinecone Road from 2nd Street S. north to 12th Street N. was reconstructed in 1997, Nielson noted, with a 12-inch gravel base and 5.5 inches of bituminous. Any improvements to the surface this spring will involve that entire 10-block section, Nielson noted.
Most paved roads have a 20-year lifespan, but most can be made to last longer with proper maintenance, repairs and overlays, Nielson told the council.
Even 16 years ago, when that road was reconstructed, no one could have predicted the extremely heavy traffic count on that stretch of road, so heavy that it, along with Minnesota’s severe seasons, took a toll on the road’s surface.
Nielson will report back to the council with a Pinecone Road diagnosis at its first May meeting, May 13.